The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Page #5

Wood?

You better watch your tongue,

young sapling.

Why is it me who's gotta rattle his hocks

out of town and not you, Bunny?

Put your horns away.

If I know Jess...

...there's some real nasty

sad-suzie work's gotta be done...

...and Bob's the ninny that has to do it.

Oh, yeah, I'm sure that's it, Charley.

You only met him 12 hours ago.

He doesn't even know your name.

Wood! You tell your daddy

I'll be in Kentucky in October.

We can hunt some birds together.

All right.

So how come it's Bob who gets to stay?

Bob's gonna move my gear to a house

down the street.

See?

- I don't mind.

- Yeah, well.

Sounds like an adventure.

They moved to 1017 Troost Avenue

at night...

...so that the neighborhood couldn't get

a good look at them or their belongings.

Then Bob thought Jesse

would give him eight hours' sleep...

...and a daydreaming goodbye.

But with a second day

in the Thomas Howard house...

...Bob thought he might never go...

...but might be brought in

as a good-natured cousin to the boy...

...and a gentleman helper to Zee.

He went everywhere with Jesse.

They made trips

to the Topeka Exchange Saloon...

...where Jesse could spend nearly

...and still complain about feeling tipsy.

Bob would rarely vouchsafe his opinions

as they talked.

If spoken to, he would fidget and grin.

If Jesse palavered with another person,

Bob secretaried their dialogue...

...getting each inflection,

reading every gesture and tic...

...as if he wanted to compose

a biography of the outlaw...

...or as if he were preparing

an impersonation.

Go away.

Used to be couldn't no one sneak up

on Jesse James.

Now you think otherwise?

I ain't never seen you without your guns,

neither.

I can't figure it out.

Do you wanna be like me...

...or do you wanna be me?

I'm just making fun, is all.

Bob was sent away cordially

the next day...

...with a goodbye from Jesse...

...but nothing from Zee

beyond what good manners demanded.

It was 40 miles to his sister's farm

from Kansas City.

And it was well into the afternoon

by the time he arrived there.

Mrs. Martha Bolton rented

the Harbison farm in 1879...

...just after becoming a widow.

And she made a good income

by giving rooms and meals...

...to her brothers Charley, Wilbur and Bob,

and to members of the James Gang...

...who would appear

whenever they needed seclusion.

Dick! You're gonna make her sick!

She's gonna upchuck

if you don't watch out!

Wood Hite had been spurned by Martha

in his affections...

...and his attempt to switch his pursuit

to her daughter...

...was being thwarted by Dick Liddil.

Wait a second, you assured me

that you were not ticklish.

Howdy!

What's going on, now?

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